Africa-Press – South-Africa. South African MotoGP ace Brad Binder may not have stood on the podium at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, but he has plenty to take away after two fourth-place finishes.
In front of a capacity crowd of 58 000 people on Sunday, Binder got off the line strongly, starting from 12th on the grid. The Red Bull KTM rider launched into Turn 1, but some contact with the riders around him unsettled his rhythm.
Regrouping quickly, Binder got back into his groove and launched a second attack on the riders ahead of him.
With two laps remaining, the SA rider diced with Joan Mir, eventually beating his rival to take fourth spot in the race, replicating his result from Saturday’s Sprint.
“I gave absolutely everything I had,” Binder said from India.
“It wasn’t quite the result we were hoping for, but coming back from 12th to fourth was quite decent. Two fourth places mean it has been a solid Indian GP for us.
“We worked as hard as we could to maximise what we had. The bike felt good, but I think we were just struggling a bit more than we anticipated to get out of the slower corners.”
Fourth in the standings
Though a win on a Sunday has alluded him throughout 2023, Binder has put himself up into fourth place in the championship standings. With 192 points to his name, he trails leader and defending champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) by 100 points, but he is 83 clear of teammate Jack Miller’s 109.
Red Bull KTM are fourth in the Teams list, while KTM are second in the Constructors’ race.
Francesco Guidotti, Red Bull KTM team manager, said: “We couldn’t make the best of the technical package [in India], so to come away with two fourth places means we have to be happy.
“Of course, we should be more in front, but the result was okay. Being on, or as close to, the podium is our seasonal target and while you can always want better now-and-then we have to be happy with a fourth.
“We have a few days to check the data from and to try to be faster. We go to Japan with confidence after the performances last year and some references.”
MotoGP heads to Japan next from 29 September to 1 October.
For More News And Analysis About South-Africa Follow Africa-Press
